The Seoul Bowl “Crispy Korean Pork Belly Bowl with House-Made Banchan Pickles”

  3.5 – 2 reviews  • Pork
Level: Advanced
Total: 8 days 2 hr 30 min
Active: 1 hr 40 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1 cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
  2. 1 cup honey
  3. 1 cup soy sauce
  4. 1/2 cup sesame oil
  5. 1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds
  6. 1/4 cup garlic, finely chopped
  7. 1/4 cup fresh ginger, pureed
  8. One 3- to 5-pound piece pork belly, skin off
  9. 1 head Chinese (napa) cabbage
  10. 1 cup kosher salt
  11. One 8-ounce bottle kimchi marinade
  12. 2 cups scallions, chopped into 2-inch sections
  13. 1 cup carrot, julienne
  14. 1/2 cup garlic, chopped
  15. 1/2 cup fresh ginger, chopped
  16. 1/4 cup gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
  17. 1/4 cup fish sauce
  18. 2 round onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  19. 1 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced
  20. 1/2 cup soy sauce
  21. 1/2 cup sugar
  22. 1/4 cup lemon juice
  23. 1/4 cup white vinegar
  24. 1 cup dried wakame seaweed
  25. 2 English cucumbers
  26. 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  27. 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  28. 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  29. 1/4 cup kosher salt
  30. One 1-pound bag mung bean sprouts
  31. 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  32. 1 tablespoon dashi powder
  33. 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  34. 1 teaspoon black pepper
  35. 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
  36. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  37. 3 cups short-grain rice

Instructions

  1. For the pork belly: Combine gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. For best results let the marinade rest for 48 hours to allow flavors to marry.
  2. Reserve 1 cup marinade to thicken and use as glaze when finishing dish.
  3. Place pork belly in a hotel pan. Pour marinade over pork belly, making sure all surfaces are covered. Cover in foil and let marinade 24 to 48 hours, refrigerated.
  4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  5. Roast pork for 4 hours. Remove from marinade and let pork cool overnight in refrigerator.
  6. Slice pork into 2-by-8-inch blocks, then slice into 1/4-inch slabs.
  7. For the kimchi: Quarter the cabbage, then slice into 2-inch sections. Place cabbage in a container and cover with cold water. Add salt. Cover and let sit 12 hours to allow cabbage to brine.
  8. Drain well. Combine cabbage with kimchi marinade, scallions, carrots, garlic, ginger, gochugaru and fish sauce in a large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Bottle and refrigerate.
  9. For the Korean pickled onion: Place onions and jalapeno in a mason jar or container with lid.
  10. Combine soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepot and bring to a simmer. Pour hot liquid over onions, then let cool. Refrigerate 48 hours before serving.
  11. For wakame seaweed and cucumber quick pickle: Place wakame seaweed in a bowl and cover with cold water to hydrate.
  12. Quarter cucumbers, then slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Place cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle liberally with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let cucumber rest, draining in sink to allow water to be drawn out, 1 hour.
  13. Simmer vinegar with remaining cup sugar and tablespoon salt in a saucepan.
  14. Let cool. Squeeze moisture from wakame, then combine with cucumber. Cover with marinade and refrigerate overnight before using.
  15. For the Korean mung bean sprout salad: Bring 4 cups water and the salt to a boil in a saucepan.
  16. Place bean sprouts in a colander in sink. Pour boiling salted water over bean sprouts, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Let drain well.
  17. Combine bean sprouts with sesame oil, dashi, sesame seeds, pepper and scallions in a mixing bowl and let flavors marry 30 minutes or longer, refrigerated.
  18. For the steamed white rice: Wash rice under cold running water until water runs clear. Add rice to a Japanese rice steamer and add 3 cups cool water. Cook until done, then let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
  19. For the Seoul bowl: Heat a cast-iron skillet. Cook pork belly until crispy. 
  20. Stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, then stir into the reserved pork belly marinade in a small saucepan. Simmer 1 minute.
  21. Mound 1/2 to 3/4 cup rice in an individual serving bowl. Arrange the four Korean pickles on rice. Fan 3 to 4 slices cooked pork belly on pickles/rice. Drizzle with thickened sauce. 
  22. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Reviews

Kimberly Palmer
GOOD LORD!!!! I chased this recipe for the pickled onions alone. This? Aaaaaaaamaaaazzzzzing!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!

 

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